final IT project(2)

8/7/2019 final IT project(2)

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INTRODUCTION

Information Technology

We use the term information technology or IT to refer to an entire industry. In actuality,

information technology is the use of computers and software to manage information. In somecompanies, this is referred to as Management Information Services (or MIS) or simply as

Information Services (or IS). The information technology department of a large company wouldbe responsible for storing information, protecting information, processing the information,

transmitting the information as necessary, and later retrieving information as necessary.

History of Information Technology:

In relative terms, it wasn't long ago that the Information Technology department might haveconsisted of a single Computer Operator, who might be storing data on magnetic tape, and then

putting it in a box down in the basement somewhere. The history of information technology is

fascinating! Check out these history of information technology resources for information oneverything from the history of IT to electronics inventions and even the top 10 IT bugs.


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Modern Information Technology Departments:

In order to perform the complex functions required of information technology departments

today, the modern Information Technology Department would use computers, servers, databasemanagement systems, and cryptography. The department would be made up of several System

Administrators, Database Administrators and at least one Information Technology Manager. Thegroup usually reports to the Chief Information Officer (CIO).

Information Technology Certifications:

Having a solid education and specific specialty certifications is the best way to progress in aninformation technology career. Here are some of the more popular information technology

certifications:

y Information Security Certificationsy Oracle DBA Certifications

y Microsoft Certificationsy Cisco Certifications

y PMP Certification


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HOSPITALITY

Role of IT in hospitality

There has been a large amount of IT investments in the hotel industry, and hotels are in the forefront

when it comes to deploying technologies like Wi-Fi.

What is the role of IT in the hotel industry:-

IT Plays a major role in the industry much like it does in the manufacturing setup or any other big ERP

setup.

IT is use in all the internal departments. It is used in Rooms Division to accomplish all checkin,checkout, and billing functions; in the engineering department for the building management system and

internal guest complaint system; in the Food & Beverage department for restaurant sale accounting; in

finance for the accounting functions; in materials for all the materials-related functions; and in HR for

payroll.

Hospitality even are no different from any other ERP setup where all the departments use the system and

benefit from IT.

What are the current computing demands among travelers:-

Travelers have been very demanding as far as the Internet connectivity and speed go. They want theirVPNs to work, and ask for faster connectivity speeds for downloads. In fact among the business travelers,facilities like Wi Fi really make a big difference. Naturally the uptime also needs to be high. Given that

we cater to a large, number of International business travelers technology can make the difference

between getting or losing the customer.

On the recreation front, they ask for DVDs on demand, games on demand, and computers on rent.

How do you see requirements evolving in the future:-

IT will be used to process restaurant orders, and every employee will have an RFID tag on their uniform

this is because the use of IT to process any kind of internal and external restaurant orders.


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IT in hospitality

Hotels are growing into large multi-location outfits with burgeoning business volumes, forcing them to

keep abreast with Information Technology (IT) infrastructure, which simplifies day-to-day work

Hospitality is amongst the fastest growing sectors in India today, with domestic and foreign tourism, andincreased business travelers fueling this momentum. The sector is known to hold as much promise for the

country as the much touted IT, ITeS and manufacturing industries.

Indias travel and tourism industry is expected to grow 8.4% this year and 8% annually between now and

2016, according to the World Travel & Tourism Council.

Conventionally having stayed away from technology, the hotel industry in India is observing a seachangein its objective and managements role towards delivering quality customer service. Service,

related to personalized care and hospitality, is finding a friend in advanced systems and gadgets that

enhance the service delivered.

This brings us to ponder what lies ahead: What NextGen technologies are in store for the hospitalitysector? The answer to this query lies in introspecting how hospitality can be managed optimally. Over thelast couple of years, it has revolutionized the Indian hospitality businesses and cutting-edge networking

technology is now being deployed to enhance customer satisfaction.

Streamlining technology

After identifying customer needs, the goal of meeting them should be figured out in such a way that the

cost of offering the service(s) does not pinch the company balance sheet i.e. variable costs should notshow fluctuations northwards. Marketing gurus would always adhere to one statement for advice: cost

need to be justifiable through high probability of ROI. The selection of technology in itself is a vital step.

Technology helped hotels respond quickly to problem areas, it made reports instantly available (e.g. Thedaily Trial Balance, Manager Flash, high problem area reports and graphs are just a click away) helping

to analyze business status and take quick decisions. Technology has also contributed to better informationsharing, reduced the workload of our associates and we have achieved better control over business

processes, financials, administration, market status and potential.

Over the past two years, the hotel has invested in infrastructure (cabling, racks, space), hardware (servers,

desktops, laptops, switches, routers, firewalls etc.), a property management system (Opera Version 2.6),

telecommunication system (NEC IPX 2400), accounting (Prologic) , Sales and catering (Delphi), point ofsales (Micros 9700), e-mail servers (Microsoft Exchange), a global reservation system (Holidex) and a

rapid response system (Escap)


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High quality technology solutions call for the right selection of hardware and software applications. This

in itself means that there has to be a substantial focus on IT.

Guests today are savvy consumers who expect outstanding service. The staff works hard to stay ahead ofthe competition, and so should the project applications that are or should be used. Hotel Information

Systems empower hotels to create a business system that successfully manages the property, converts

information into knowledge and realizes greater profits. A typical Property Management System (PMS) isdivided into various modules that interact to provide a comprehensive and easy-to-use system. Itsintuitive and well-structured user interface allows the staff to acquire the essential skills of property

operations quickly and easily. With functionality in a native Internet centrally deployable environment

and a properly designed user interface one should be able to access all-important account informationfrom one screen instead of several. Each module should allow you to search and retrieve information for aguest, group and company accounts using virtually any criteria. The process should involve no

complicated menu screens, thus increasing productivity.

Another global feature that is extremely important is a detailed guest, group and company records. Usedwith a variety of customized reports, these detailed records allow precise targeting of various marketingefforts to improve occupancy rates, increase yield and enhance strategic planning. Each module should

have a customizable report selection menu. The reports should have provision for sorting and filtering ofdata to enable viewing of the exact information might be required at a moments notice. A good PMSenables a hospitality enterprise to increase revenue and occupancy, improve guest loyalty and reduce

costs by centralizing and streamlining your operations.

Technology has revolutionized the Indian hospitality businesses. Increased tourism and business travelershave forced Indian hotels to provide world class services to their guests to stay ahead of competition.Automation of front office, networked properties, broadband and Wi-Fi services are now a standard part

of services.

Applications like office management and front end solutions are deployed to check on availability of

rooms in an efficient manner. Though not all hotels in India are networked, many have started deploying

WAN to connect their properties across different locations. This helps them to monitor sales and other

growth parameters.


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IP based technology

Forward-thinking properties have already begun building a network infrastructure that offers the

flexibility and scalability to adapt to the ever-evolving guest, staff, and property management needs

These next-generation infrastructures are based on a converged network. They integrate with todays

solutionssuch as reservation, surveillance, and billing systemsand support the newest applicationsand technologies. The goal is to take advantage of tomorrows opportunities while protecting existing

investments.

With an IP-based network infrastructure, hotels can deploy a flexible solution integrating data, voice,

video, and convergence applications tailored to their needs. This converged network is a strategic assetfor hotels to profitably improve the guest experience, increase staff productivity, reduce operational

expenses such as energy costs, and deliver new property enhancements.

An IP-based solution should provide:

y

A core infrastructure that supports a secure, flexible, and scalable network for the long termy Advanced technologies that will increase staff productivity and improve guest experience through

new services while managing costsy A foundation for enhanced applications that can generate new revenue streams, improve

operations, and offer hotels a competitive advantage

The future use of technology will be focused on generating customized and easy to use technology. High

bandwidth services such as high-definition video conferencing, corporate VPNs, VoIP services will besoon be part of standard package for customers.

The new trends within smart rooms include functions such as key less entry, rooms that can map

customer preferences for room temperature, preferred room lighting, food, TV/ video preferences etc. All

these functionalities are now giving the ultimate luxury experience to guests and helping build loyalty.


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Wireless connectivity: need of the hour

Wi-Fi is the latest buzzword that is invariably used everywhere. Hospitality industry for that matter isnt

far behind; it has progressed and is continuously progressing towards providing wireless connectivity to

boost customer satisfaction.

Considering the situation where major Indian carriers have acquired spectrum licenses to deploy wirelessbroadband services and have expressed interest in going with World Interoperability for Microwave

Access (WiMax), the scope for hospitality will widen.

Other applications deployed include Access Control Systems, CCTVs, integrated Fire and Burglary alarm

systems and Smart Rooms. The new trends within smart rooms include functions such as key less entry,rooms that can map customer preferences for room temperature, preferred room lighting, food, TV/ video

preferences etc. All these functionalities are now giving the ultimate luxury experience to guests andhelping build customer loyalty. Other applications deployed include Access Control Systems, CCTVs,

integrated Fire and Burglary alarm systems.

Wi-Fi is just not restricted to big players - many 3-4 star rated hotels are also deploying Wi-Fi services.Consider Hyderabad based Hotel Golkonda, a three star hotel which has deployed full-fledged wireless

LAN. Powered by Cisco Aironet 1100 series access points deployed across five floors, the hotel offers

seamless wireless Internet connectivity to its guests.

Cutting edge technology adoption is important to stay ahead in the hospitality industry. Technology

requirement and importance is increasing day by day. Business executive can skip breakfast but not

Internet, e-mail and his business application,


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Case study

Bangalore-based Royal Orchid Hotels carried out central reservations manually with property-wise statusof bookings and reservation requests being forwarded to individual properties of the group through

telephone, fax or e-mail. But apart from being time consuming, this also proved to be an unreliable andmore importantly, a non-scalable model.

Challenges

y As each property offered different facilities at varied tariffs, application of property-specific tariff

was invariably complex, resulting in tariff negotiation being a cumbersome procedurey Tariff offered to travel agents varied depending on the market segment, business source, seasons,

etc and maintenance of a manual record of special, negotiated tariffs for thousands of CVGR

companies and travel agents for each property and applying the correct tariff for each reservationproved to be a Herculean task

y The above factors often led to incorrect application of rates at the time of reservation and

subsequently in the billingy When the billing is incorrect it leads to delays in clearing of the billsy Since most of the business is on credit, incorrect billing led to longer cash-flow cycles which

affected cash flow situation and profitability

The solution

IDS Softwares (IDS) deployed Fortune Suite of hospitality software solutions, to address the businesschallenges by automating reservations and thereby optimized revenue generation across properties. Atone level, hospitality software solutionFortune Enterprise and Fortune Express (Property Management

System) was implemented at each of the property, with a leased line enabling online functioning with a

dedicated external IP address. At another level, a comprehensive solution comprising Fortune Central -

Central Reservations System, Fortune Central - Central Reservation Office were installed at the corporateoffice.

Benefits Achieved

In one stroke, the solution not only addressed the challenge but also made the groups properties tech-

savvy, the customer interface user-friendly and more importantly provided the management with real-

time and accurate data with the click of a mouse.

Besides optimization of the reservation process, the solution implementation led to a whole new channel

of bookings opening up anytime, anywhere. The user-friendly interface led to enhanced customer

satisfaction. Above all, better room occupancy rates and minimal incorrect billing led to higher revenues

and profitability.


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BPO

IT in the BPO world

Indian BPO outfits use IT for everything from VoIP to forecasting when their best agents need to be attheir desks to handle workload peaks.

A California businessman calls the airline to find out if his morning flight to Washington DC is on time.

Behind the scenes his call is routed thousands of miles away to a BPO companys call centre agent in

India who has the real-time flight information available on his PC and is able to update the customer.

This scenario would not be possible but for the power of Information Technology (IT) that has emergedas one of the key drivers in the ongoing BPO (Business Process Outsourcing) success story. There was a

time when no one had thought that strategic processes would be outsourced to BPO companies in India.

IT has helped foreign organisations outsource their processes to BPO companies in India withoutworrying about security. Using IT, BPO companies have been able to offer continuous uptime to theircustomers by adopting advanced networking capabilities and thereby meeting their Service Level

Agreements (SLAs). With their innovative IT infrastructure BPO companies have successfully adhered to

international regulations winning customers hearts and increasing their confidence to outsource morestrategic processes to India. The use of IT has also brought in added operational efficiency and

transparency in BPO companies.

Whenever any international customer wants to outsource its processes to India the first thing which goes

on in the customers mind is the level of IT infrastructure available in India. MS Rangaraj, chieftechnology officer, Nirvana Business Solutions Pvt Ltd says, For customers sitting thousands of milesaway it is important to ensure that they are able to proactively manage the environment in which their

processes are running. This will increase the confidence level of customers as they will have full control

of their processes even [though the BPO outfit they are outsourcing to lies] thousands of miles away.

Nirvana Business Solutions (NBS) has invested in a Call Logging System from Witness Systems whichlets them capture one hundred percent of any and all calls made by its agents on behalf of a client. This

helps bring transparency to its operations. Rangaraj explains, The operations manager at the customer

site abroad can log into the system and get first hand information of all the calls made to and from the callcentre agent by his customers.

In case of any issue that a customer may have with a transaction, we are in a better position to resolve it.

Managing calls with IP Telephony BPO companies in India swear by the power of IP Telephony as it isuser-friendly and helps them perform multiple functions using one common infrastructure. Aditya Menon,

group chief information officer, MphasiS says, In IP

telephony one doesnt require any multiplexers as itfacilitates automatic call distribution which is simplified by software. It provide a single channel for voiceand data. With IP Telephony one has less equipment to deploy and manage. We are deploying IP

Telephony in every new centre that we are opening as it is easier to implement and manage a hub and

spoke model facilitated by this technology.

IP Telephony has also helped Indian companies keep the bulk of their systems in India rather thanmaintaining equipment abroad. Mohit Jain, chief information officer, 24/7 Customer, explains, By using

IP Telephony we have been successful in locating the complete voice logging system in India rather than


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on site at locations abroad. Tremendous cost savings have resulted and managing performance has

become very smooth as digital voice files can be played back and it is possible to listen to specific parts of

a recorded call without having to go through the entire conversation.

Fine-tuning operations

IT has completely transformed the way operations are handled by Indian BPO companies. These outfitsuse IT to monitor their peak transaction periods and place their most efficient agents to handle these. For

instance 24/7 customer is using a call management and a workforce management system to streamline its

operations in just this manner. Jain of 24/7 Customer explains, Using call and workforce managementsystems has helped us reduce staffing and transportation costs by 10 percent.

Similarly MphasiS makes use of a tool called Blue Pumpkin to forecast a call centres agent

requirements. Based on call patterns, the tool helps analyse peak volumes and the fluctuations at any pointof time during the day. Based upon reports generated by the tool, the transportation department at

MphasiS chalks out pickup and drop schedules for its agents.

NOCssecure and reliable

As security and reliability are major concerns for customers outsourcing processes to Indian BPOcompanies, they expect foolproof measures to be taken. Take the case of ICICI OneSource that has aNetwork Operations Centre (NOC) in Mumbai which monitors every single device across its call centre

operations. Sanjiv Dalal, chief technology officer, ICICI OneSource says, There is a central monitoringsystem in place at the NOC, which helps securely manage the networks upon which the customers

business critical processes are running. In case a link fails, even at the customers site, it is able to sound

an alert so that the error can be rectified

and uptime maintained. Interestingly the company is also using cellphone censors and detectors in areaswhere the customers sensitive data resides. Besides ICICI OneSource, BPO companies such as 24/7

Customer and MphasiS have set upN

OCs to monitor their total IT infrastructure to provide greaterreliability and assured security to their clients.

We expect BPO companies to deploy more IT systems as they attempt to bring the service industry on parwith manufacturings position many years ago when industrial processes began to be outsourcing to

distant locations.


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Case Study

Overview of Company/ ProductTravelTainment UK Ltd, previously known as Access e-Media Ltd came into operations in the year 1991.The company markets TravelTainment products to the UK travel industry alongside its established and

successful TravelMedia brands.

The company provides two types of products which is TT-IBE and TT-Travel Office

1.TT-IBE - Optimised to customers and sales: Like a virtual travel advisor, TravelTainments Internet

booking engine searches for reliable, suitable travel offers and automatically suggests individuallyselected alternatives in an easy-to-use, customer-friendly and informative manner. TT-IBE providesdetailed travel information, countless options for efficient sales management and a detailed statistics

domain. The travel offers of all the major operators are featured.

2.TT-TravelOffice - the solution for travel agents: With TT-TravelOffice, the customers are able to

gain access in the travel agency to last-minute and package holiday offers from all major tour operatorswithin a matter of seconds. In addition, charter flights, hotels, villas and apartments as well as car hire andinsurance offers may be accessed directly and booked.

Project Description

CHALLENGE

TravelTainment is a company that is focused on providing core customer services. All tourism-related

information in the particular regions such as hotels, beaches, towns, sights, leisure activities are

researched by TravelTainment, documented in the form of texts and images and prepared digitally for theinformation about the hotel and the surrounding area. The events calendar informs customers about

goings-on in the most popular holiday areas.

The aerial and satellite images offer a birds eye view. Through geo-referencing (the entering of atlas co-ordinates) and information on the surrounding area may be obtained for several thousand hotels. This

holiday information is supplemented by information about countries and regions throughout the world.With information about the (departure) airports, TravelTainment supports travelers in the planning stage

even before they have arrived at their holiday destination.

In this way, TravelTainment boasts both a quantitatively and qualitatively unique database for this field of

expertise.

There are thousands of travel brochures that needs to be updated online on a regular basis since it entailstravel information pertaining to various destinations around the world which will enable the customers to

have easy accessibility. TravelTainment outsources this work of updating their online system to

GlowTouch so that the updates are done immediately and much faster.


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IT Initiatives by Indian BPO companies

Company IT Initiatives

MphasiS

The company uses a forecasting tool 'Blue Pumpkin' that helpsforecast the peak hours (when there are maximum number of calls

during the day). It is also using a quality monitoring system called

'NICE' to monitor the quality of transactions and the efficiency ofagents who handle customer calls. MphasiS is in the process ofbuilding a data warehouse which will have data for all processes

running and help improve analysis and forecasting.

ICICI OneSource

It has been using a call monitoring system to monitor transactionquality. The company also has a NOC to manage its IT

infrastructure and it plans to implement Business Intelligence Toolsand IP Telephony in the future.

24/7 Customer24/7 uses a VoIP-based call monitoring system called NICE. Ithas deployed IP Telephony, a call management, and a workforcemanagement system to streamline its operations.

Nirvana Business SolutionsNBS has implemented an Interactive Voice Response System(IVRS) from Cisco Systems. It plans to deploy more IP telephones.


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HOSPITAL

An institution for the treatment, care, and cure of the sick and wounded, for the study ofdisease, and for the training of physicians, nurses, and allied health care personnel.

Computers are used in hospitals for life support systems and to help the

receptionist store medical data and instruct visitors where to go to find

specific people etc.

There are two main areas of computer use in hospitals

Basic ledger system

Use for patient care

Ledger system.

This deals with the day-to-day purchases that the hospital needs to keep going on a dayto day basis. It covers everything that is bought by the hospital and accounts for their purchase

and their use by a particular department. All departments have budgets and these are thenmanaged by the computer system.

A patient is assigned a unique number when they enter a hospital, the key field in adatabase. The computer held patient records does not carry any detail of their complaint or

diagnoses but holds only their doctors name, their GPs name, the date of their appointmentsand the consultants name that they are under. The computer system allows for case note

tracking and as an administration tool for the overview of lists and details. When a list appears,the medical records team prepare the appropriate notes and test results for the individual and

these are then delivered to the designated ward for admission or to the clinic that they areattending that day The use of the key field allows direct access to the patient record. Detailednotes, such as diagrams by the doctor/surgeon are left in records and all printed work is

transcribed. The different areas of the hospital have different uses of IT. The systems developedare unique in their specialism so that they reform the task designated for them. The systems

continue to evolve, becoming more sophisticated as they are developed and enhanced. Theybecome more sophisticated in what they do, clever in detecting the tasks prescribed to them. This

clearly demonstrates the continual development of ICTThere are many avenues that are being investigated and acted upon. One is Electronic PatientRecords (EPR). This is the venture to put all patients records online so that all hospitals have

access to them, If you were taken into any hospital anywhere in Britain they could call up yournotes and see if you are for example on any medication at the moment. This can only lead to

better diagnosis of patients problems and improve the chances of survival


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In Patient use.The creation and management of lists. Patient personal records are not kept on computer.

There are many issues as to why this is and they will be dealt with later on. At present, patientrecords are transcript manually and these records are then held in the Medical Records

Department. A computer is used to manage the list of appointments for clinics that go on daily at

the busy hospital. Waiting lists are produced for each clinic and the names of the patients on thelist are then processed so that their notes are delivered to the correct clinic ready for the dayswork. The notes can include a record of previous visits, previous consultations and diagnoses and

include also results from tests. One computer system is used to administer blood tests and totrack blood that is transfused to patients.

Transfusions.An ill patient is brought into hospital needing an operation. The patients details are

recorded and using this information, a bracelet is produced with the key field number printed onby barcode. The use of the barcode is to make the input of information as correct as possible. The

scanner used reduces the human involvement and the chance of error there in. The barcode isused to track the transfusions that may be given to the person. On the unit of blood, there is

another unique barcode, which can trace the blood from who gave it. This allows the tracking ofthe blood as it comes into the system and can trace the individual that gave the blood. This

system relates to problems that have arisen over the last few years, especially the CJD (Mad Cowdisease) and how that could be spread by transfusion. When a unit of blood is dispatched to a

patient, the blood transfusion department scans it and the appropriate barcode is printed out at thedepartment and stuck on to the unit of blood. When it reaches the patient, the scanned barcode on

the patients bracelet and the scanned barcode on the unit of blood have to match before theblood can be administered as a part of a treatment or operation. Part of the bracelet printed At

Morristown Hospital The only place where this is not possible is in cytology tests where thesample has to be viewed via a microscope. The trained laboratory technician is looking of a

change in the cell structure or the presence of wrong type of cell. These may be rogue cells orpointers towards future problems. This has to be done by a trained pathologist and it only a

trained person who can be entrusted with this work. No computer program is yet in place to doaway with the trained operative in this field.

The Hematology Department (Blood)

This system used is called ISBT 128 and is similar to the ISBN system for the cataloguing ofbooks. The system has the following advantages

Blood can be track from donor to patient Ensuring that the correct blood is given to the correct patient, cutting down the chance

of mistake.

Cutting down the chance of cross contamination So blood is tacked from the donor tothe patient. It can be detected in the system and its bar-coding reduces the human error

that may occur in the system.

EPRThere are many avenues that are being investigated and acted upon. One is Electronic


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Patient Records (EPR). This is the venture to put all patients records online so that all hospitalshave access to them, If you were taken into any hospital anywhere in Britain they could call up

your notes and see if you are for example on any medication at the moment. This can only leadto better diagnosis of patients problems and improve the chances of survival.

The computerizing of the patient recordsThe computerizing of the patient records would also create a huge database of all the

people in Britain. This could also allow an epidemiological investigation to take place. Peoplesrecords could be compared to see what treatment worked and what other factors there may have

been for some complex illness. Trends could be spotted at their early stage and The financesystem also manages the payroll needs of the hospital. This is the basis by which health authority

pays the salary of each individual.

Advantages Easy to trace the spending of individual areas Cheaper sourcing of materials and items when buying bulk

Budgets are set early on so that they can be adhered to Allows overall monetary control to be decentralized

Disadvantages Expensive patient care has to be balanced with the budgetary controls

Epidemics cannot be planned for New procedures tend to be expensive

Drug bills are expensive

Hospital Communication The use of WANTo communicate information between hospitals for example from Bronglais Hospital in

Aberystwyth to Morriston Hospital in Swansea closed network is used. This allows x-rays andscans to be sent by a doctor to a specialist for them to share their opinion. This gives the doctor a

second opinion by a specialist in that field. The closed nature of the network ensures theconfidentiality of the sent material. All hospitals in Wales are linked together and there is also a

gateway to English hospital. It is a system that ensures the correct and best advice for thatpatient. The message can be sent quickly to its destination and the information can be discussedwhilst looking at the image.

Intensive Treatment Unit (ITU)The area of Intensive Care and Treatment in one with the use of ICT at its core.

Patients can be admitted after trauma (e.g.an accident such as car crash or industrial incident) or

post operatively where they may have undergone major surgery. Some patients are also referredwhen an illness or condition escalates in seriousness. All patients in ITU are in a one to one

situation with a nurse to every patient. Sensors linked to computers and alarms constantlymonitor the patient. The readings of the sensors is recorded by computer but legally at the

moment, the nurse records the maximum and minimum readings manually. These measurementof pain and that is a value judgement that cannot placed on computer record.

Intensive Treatment Unit (ITU)


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The area of Intensive Care and Treatment in one with the use of ICT at its core. Patients canbe admitted after trauma (e.g. an accident such as car crash or industrial incident) or post

operatively where they may have undergone major surgery. Some patients are also referred whenan illness or condition escalates in seriousness. All patients in ITU are in a one to one situation

with a nurse to every patient. Sensors linked to computers and alarms constantly monitor the

patient. The readings of the sensors is recorded by computer but legally at the moment, the nurserecords the maximum and minimum readings manually. These measurement of pain and that is avalue judgment that cannot placed on computer record.

Diagnostic Tools TheMRI ScannerThe Magnetic Resonance Imaging Scanner is a radiology technique that/ uses magnetism,

radio waves and a computer to produce images of the body structure. A huge circular magnet isin the tube that surrounds the patient. When the magnet is switched on, the detection of change in

magnet resonance is picked up by radio waves and this change can be modeled by a computer toproduce an image. Different tissues change the resonance of the magnetic waves. The image and

resolution of the image produced is quite detailed and can detect tiny changes in the body. Bychanging the reading of the magnetic resonance and by measuring the change, it can the

computers that are linked together are all set onto the same task at the same time. An examplewas in Canada where numerous computers were set a task overnight via the Internet by a

university. Their combined computing power allowed them to tackle a problem too large for anindividual computer to take on. Parallel processing is the use of many processors in a single

computer. This allows the processors communicate with each other much more quickly. Multipleprocessors make the writing of programmes much more difficult and this is why they are not

widely used.

Now, a software to provide health care solutions

Aiming cost effective promotion of health care systems, the Pune based Centre forDevelopment of Advanced Computing has developed a 'decision support system'software with a knowledge base of integrative medicine, combining best practices inAllopath, Ayurveda , Homeopath and Yoga.Named 'Cure@Home', the Information and Communication Technology (ICT) solution

can help transcend the heterogeneity inIndia arising out of cultural, educational andregional differences, says Dr Medha Dhurndhar, Programme Coordinator, C-DAC whichcomes under the Central government's department of Information and Technology."What began as a novel project to synergies the best medical systems on a singleplatform and integrating them onto the Information Technology bandwagon, hasresulted in multiple offshoots that hold the promise of enhanced health care that is

largely technology-driven.


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Low priority to spending on IT

Hospitals in India give IT budgeting a low priority as compared to equipment budgeting. They do not mindspending a large sum of money on a Computed Tomography scanners or Magnetic Resonance Imagingsystems, but allocate small budgets for the implementation ofHIS solutions. A high-cost solution such asPicture Archiving and Communications System (PACS) is being implemented only in corporate hospitalsor high-end private and charitable ones in India, while other hospitals are averse to accepting such high-cost solutions.

Usage of computers by doctors in developed countries

According to a study conducted by American Medical Association, 94 per cent of the USphysicians use computers in their practice, and 79 per cent use the internet or an onlinenetwork compared to 80 per cent and 61 per cent averages for the 15 countries in theEuropean Union. Cent per cent of doctors in Finland and the Netherlands are reported to usecomputers and an online network.

According to a survey from Harris Interactive Inc., 26 per cent ofAmericas practisingphysicians used hand-held devices for professional and personal activities in 2001, up from15 per cent in 1999. Harris Interactive estimates that 50 per cent of the countrysphysicians will be using the devices by 2005. But that could change markedly if insurers,employers, hospitals and other providers mandate physician usage.

Computerisation of hospitals in India

Only a handful of state governments in India have taken the initiative of computerising thegovernment hospitals though they have a long way to go as far as enjoying the fruits ofcomputerisation is concerned as, networking of the intended hospitals in the state, training

and implementation etc. would take a lot of time. One such example is the initiative of theAndhra Pradesh Health Ministry to computerise all the district hospitals, area hospitals andprimary health centres (PHC) in Andhra Pradesh initially.

This would enable the Ministry for making various analysis and take effective measures forbetter patient care.

In this regard the government has already completed a pilot project by computerising one250 bedded district Hospital, one 100 bedded area Hospital and one 30 bedded PHC.


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In India, most of the corporate hospitals have either computerised or are in the process ofcomputerising their hospitals which mainly covers their billing, finance and accounts and tosome extent pharmacy.This may not result in improved patient care.

The main benefits of computerisation are being enjoyed by the administrators and themanagement for MIS reports like the hospital occupancy, revenue generated by various

departments etc. The support staff use computers for the operations like registration,billing, finance, pharmacy etc whereas the doctors very rarely use computers to see theirpatients condition/progress online.

When would a doctor appreciate the importance of computers?

Doctors would definitely appreciate the technology, if they are made to know/understandthat adopting computer technology is not cumbersome and tedious. Instead, it is easy toview, store and exchange medical information. Using computers and the internet and sharewith colleagues video images of patients before and after treatment.

Doctors should be shown how computers could prevent or minimise medical errors. Doctors

should be told how they could save time and earn more. It is interesting to note thataccording to an estimate in the US, by increasing the speed of patient history gathering,using technology, a doctor can see 30 per cent more patients a day without extending hisworkday, a net saving of more than $80,000 per year.

With a computerised environment, doctors will have the patients information at their fingertips.

What the hospital can do?

The hospitals should look at the computerisation as a patient care tool rather than a mereaccounting and inventory mechanisms. The clinical process and patient information accessshould be given priority.

Indiana Heart Hospital in US is a $60 million Hospital with 25 percent of the investmentgoing into Information Technology. Its CIO says that there are 795 workstations in the 88-bed facility - nine computers for every bed. Executives are aiming to reduce medical errorsby 80 percent or better through the use of physician order entry systems, drug checkingdatabases, and other methods.


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Role of the IT in Railway

Railway system of India plays an important role in the economic life of its people. It isconsidered one of the biggest revenue collectors for central government in present age. With

more and more advancements in technology and engineering, Indian railway is also coming up

with newer facilities and benefits. Bestindiansites.com compiles 10 websites on railways in Indiato help you with updated and thorough knowledge and information.

indianrail.gov.in:indianrailways.gov.in:

irctc.co.in:konkanrailway.com:

civilaviation.nic.in:indiastat.com:

whc.unesco.org:mapsofindia.com:

irfca.org:trainweb.org:

Book Train Tickets

Indian Railways Catering and Tourism Corporation (IRCTC) is an initiative by the Indian

Railway Ministry. It is a one stop platform offering multiple services like e-ticketing (online

train ticket reservations), tourist trains, railway tour packages, car rentals and hotels bookings.

It has a 24 hour call center to cater to all your queries or enquiries relating to train timings,

reservations and tour bookings.

Train Ticket Reservations:

IRCTC.co.in allows you to book train tickets online, making the process of train reservations

instantaneous and simple. IRCTC provides two options Itickets and Etickets. If you pick the

I-ticket, the ticket will be delivered to your doorstep by courier. However this service is available

only in select cities across India. If you opt for the E-ticket, you can save it on your computer

and take a print out. IRCTC has recently launched a new medium for booking tickets called

IRCTC mobile. IRCTC Mobile enables you to book your tickets, as well as, perform various

other services through your mobile phone. In order to avail of this service, you must use a java

enabled phone or a smart phone with a GPRS connection. Tickets ordered using this mediumwill be delivered to your postal address within three days. As is the case with many people, if

you are not able to make reservations well in advance and have last minute travel plans, you can

use the tatkal booking to book your tickets. Tatkal bookings are allowed for all classes except

AC first and executive class. You can obtain a tatkal ticket through IRCTC by making a

premium payment on a first cum first service basis. Tatkal booking (e-tickets only) can be done 2

days in advance (excluding the date of journey). No modifications or cancellation can be made

on tickets booked through the tatkal booking. IRCTC has frequent promotions offering discounts


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on the usage of a particular credit/ debit card through its tie-ups with various banks. IRCTC also

provides a concession on tickets booked for senior citizens. Payment for the bookings done

online and through IRCTC Mobile can be made using credit cards, debit cards or cash cards.

Indian Railway is becoming technologically advanced and the fact that people can book their

tickets online confirms the statement. The people who know how to access internet oncomputers, can easily get reservation done on the internet itself. Indian Railway Online Booking

has certainly changed the system of reservation in India. The best thing about this service is thatone can get reservation done, sitting at home before the computer.

One can book his/ her tickets at IRCTC's online reservation site (www.irctc.co.in). Indian

Railway Catering and Tourism Corporation (IRCTC) is a subsidiary or the marketing division ofIndian Railways. IRCTC handles the program of online ticket booking. On 3rd August 2002, the

system of online reservation was launched in collaboration with the Centre for RailwayInformation Systems. Earlier, people used to stand in long queues before the counters at the

reservation centers, but online ticket booking has made things easier to a great extent.

Though the queues at reservation counters are still lengthy, yet they are in a better condition thanbefore. Those people, who don't have internet connection at home, can go to cyber cafes for the

booking. In case the user has a bank account in the banks listed on the page, then just by debitingthe bank account for the amount, one can also make the payment for the ticket. Not only this,

Indian railway online ticket reservation can also be made by using credit cards.

SBI RAILWAY CARD

The SBI Railway Card is an internationally valid credit card brought to you by SBI Card and

Indian Railways through its subsidiary, IRCTC (Indian Railway Catering and TourismCorporation Limited).


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State Bank of India (SBI) makes a railway card, which is useful in online booking of tickets. Inthe vein of SBI, Federal Bank has also joined IRCTC to facilitate customers in online reservation

by means of Fed Net principle. One can make reservations online by simply debiting the FederalBank account from anywhere in India or abroad. Another advantage for customers of Federal

Bank is their tickets are delivered without any charge. Designed by renowned cartoonist R K

Laxman, it is a collectors item and packed with exclusive Railway benefits

Exclusive Privileges of SBI Railway CardGet 350 bonus SBI Railway Points (1 SBI Railway point = Re. 1) on joining the SBI RailwayCard family. These SBI Railway points can be redeemed against Railway tickets.

Get back upto 10% of AC ticket fare as Railway Points

Get back upto 10% of your AC (except 3 AC) ticket fare as Railway Points through yourcomplimentary membership to Shubh Yatra-Scheme for Frequent Travellers (SOFT) by Indian

Railways. Cash-in your Railway Points on irctc.co.in for a free ticket. Earn 1 Railway Point onevery Rs. 125 of retail purchases on your SBI Railway Card.

0% Transaction Charges on tickets booked at irctc.co.in

Save 1.8% transaction charges on all online credit card transactions every time you book your

railway tickets on irctc.co.in with your SBI Railway Card.

How to use AVTM (Automatic Ticket VendingMachines) card.

y Go to an ATVM. Place the card on the sensor on the ATVM. The ATVM has a touch-screen interface.

y

Select the language (Hindi, Marathi, English, Tamil).y Choose the destination (zone)...and the station from the railway route map.

y Choose the number of adults and children.

y Select "Print" to print the tickets.

y The tickets are dispensed through the ATVM slot.


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ADVANTAGES

Users can escape long queues at ticket windows.

Validates fixed at all the entry and exit points would allow people to validate tickets while

passing by railway stations.N

o extra time is required to buy tickets or to get it from automaticticket vending machines (ATVM).

Unlike ATVM smart cards, the Go Mumbai cards can be used as season tickets.

The card can be used on BEST buses as well. The ATVM smart card does not have this facility.

The Go Mumbai card can be used to purchase extension tickets. The existing ATVM smartcard does not have the facility.

No paper ticket is issued. In case of ATVM machines, there are chances that the machines may

run out of paper rolls.

DISADVANTAGES

People using the card both on railways and BEST buses would have to shell out Rs 10 everymonth as application fee. Where as in normal ticketing system, there are no extra charges. In

automatic ticketing system, users get 5 per cent bonus amount on their usage.

Every Go Mumbai card is assigned to an individual. It is transferable as it does not have any IDof the person using it.

With ATVM cards, there are options for booking tickets for adults as well as children as thecharges of children are less than adults. However, the Go Mumbai card does not have provision

for half tickets right now.

If an user forgets to validate the card at the exit point, the maximum possible fare of the route isdeducted from the card. The same rule applies if the journey is not completed within four hours.


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In monsoons, where train delays are normal, railways will make special provisions by extendinghour limits.

The first class and second class validates are different. The user should carefully choose the

validates before swiping the card.

Things You'll Need:

y Go to any ticket counter that is marked (some board near the counter tells you which one)

to sell the Smart Card.y The Smart Card can be loaded / refilled in multiples of Rs. 50, upto Rs. 500

y Initially, the Smart Card itself has a deposit of Rs. 50 (which is refundable under somereasonable conditions mentioned at the back of the Smart Card).

y (Probably) To attract customers to this scheme, the railways are offering a 5% bonusamount on every charge of the card. For example, if you load the card with Rs. 100, your

card would actually be load.

Railways to use new tech to save energy

PATNA: In a major policy decision, the railways has decided to introduce a new renewable

energy technology to save energy cost at the country level. During the trial period the new

technology has proved successful.

According to a Railway Board official, the new technology has helped electric and diesel

locomotives to save energy. "About 350 new locomotives have been put into service of newtechnology at the country level saving about 8 to 10 per cent energy," he said.

The Board official said that the railways has recently erected a 10.5 mw wind turbine at its coach

building factory in Tamil Nadu. It has helped the railways, in particular, to save about 45 percent energy consumed by both electric and diesel locomotives. Besides, installation of energy

saving devices in diesel run locomotives has also resulted in saving of about 20 per cent energy.

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